Something for us to keep tabs on as signings and moves come in over the next couple weeks. This lineup is no way projecting what they will be but to give us a realistic idea of the roster heading into the year. This is also assuming Bennett is ready for opening night:

bwyant32 wrote:Something for us to keep tabs on as signings and moves come in over the next couple weeks. This lineup is no way projecting what they will be but to give us a realistic idea of the roster heading into the year. This is also assuming Bennett is ready for opening night:

mikey287 wrote:Good idea. Just some minor housekeeping stuff. Just for handedness purposes. Let's put Scuderi or Despres with Letang. Letang should be on the right side. Bortuzzo can only play RD also.

Mikey, do you see Despres as a potential long-term partner with Letang?

I love the possibilities with that pairing.

I know you are not a Bortuzzo fan, to be kind, but if Martin sticks around, I could see the two of them forming an effective tandem.

Idoit40fans wrote:Bortuzzo's ceiling is bottom pairing and more likely ends up as a fringe 6/7. Despres projects more like a minutes eating top 4 guy. I don't think that pairing makes sense.

EDIT: Or were you saying Martin/Bortuzzo? In that case, same thing. MInutes eater/bottom pair guy

Ideally, yea Bortuzzo is a bottom pairing guy. The problem is that they don't have a #4 to play the right side on the second pairing, as it now stands. The choice is basically Scuderi, who is barely an NHL'er or Bortz.

At least Bortz adds physicality to offset Martin's soffness around the cage.

mikey287 wrote:Good idea. Just some minor housekeeping stuff. Just for handedness purposes. Let's put Scuderi or Despres with Letang. Letang should be on the right side. Bortuzzo can only play RD also.

Mikey, do you see Despres as a potential long-term partner with Letang?

I love the possibilities with that pairing.

I know you are not a Bortuzzo fan, to be kind, but if Martin sticks around, I could see the two of them forming an effective tandem.

Or do you go Martin/Scuderi and put Bortz with one of the kids?

I could see Despres and Letang working. I believe they worked pretty well in the past. Letang felt some responsibility to not hang his young, fellow Francophone out to dry. And Despres could play more within himself because he was not counted on to do as much with the puck and he could focus elsewhere. They can cover a lot of ground with mobility. I think it's worth a strong look. I also believe that Despres has 2/3 upside. Which is not easy to pluck out of me.

No sense dragging Martin down by playing him with Bortuzzo. We must take advantage of the comfort level that Martin has playing his off-side. LHS d-man being comfortable at RD without being a liability defensively (quite the opposite actually) is a luxury in this league. It shouldn't be wasted. Playing him with Bortuzzo moves Martin back to the left. That said, Martin has done his best work with physical defensive defensemen in the past (Salvador, Orpik). But I believe he was on the right side both of those times. Martin playing with Bortuzzo also means that Bortuzzo is playing more than 15 minutes per night, which will turn sour quickly.

Ideally, Bortuzzo is a #7, not a #3/4. His upside is no better than a #6. Anything beyond that, and we're asking for serious trouble. Bortuzzo would be best paired on the right side with a guy like Harrington on the left. Because as much as Bortuzzo is a defensive player, someone still has to constantly cover for his mistakes. So it's not like he could "babysit" a Pouliot or something, he's just not smart enough. So, we have to have someone babysit a defensive defender. It's not an enviable situation. It's unpopular now (just like it was unpopular in the height of Engelland's fame "the sky is the limit" re: potential is still probably my all-time favorite quote here), but I wouldn't lose a second of sleep if Bortuzzo was waived after tc/preseason this year...it would be on merit or it wouldn't happen. But I don't think that's an outlandish scenario given the talent we have.

mikey287 wrote:Good idea. Just some minor housekeeping stuff. Just for handedness purposes. Let's put Scuderi or Despres with Letang. Letang should be on the right side. Bortuzzo can only play RD also.

Who can play their off side effectively? Definitely martin, anyone else?I seem to remember dumoulin playing some right d

mikey287 wrote:Good idea. Just some minor housekeeping stuff. Just for handedness purposes. Let's put Scuderi or Despres with Letang. Letang should be on the right side. Bortuzzo can only play RD also.

Who can play their off side effectively? Definitely martin, anyone else?I seem to remember dumoulin playing some right d

Effectively is the key. I have not seen it anyone overly effective at it other than Martin. Tough to do.

darkstar57 wrote:What about samulesson, i believe he can't go up and down on waivers this year so he might be with the big club more so than dumlion

I think Samulesson is an in-season depth guy. I like his play, I just don't see him cracking the opening day roster.

He is no longer waiver exempt (or whatever the term is) if we put him in the minor we can only call him up if its an emergency.

I get the feeling the Pens don't see him as highly as some of the others. Many assume because he is out of options he would be on the opening night roster (myself included), but in the past 2 weeks, I've seen two quotes from Rutherford and one from Botterill about young defensemen getting a shot, and it is always Despres, Dumoulin, and Harrington that they name, never Samuelsson. I think Samuelsson projects to only be a bottom pairing defenseman, and would serve as an in-season call-up if needed, while the Pens feel Despres, Dumoulin, and Harrington (and when healthy, Pouliot) all have more upside.

darkstar57 wrote:What about samulesson, i believe he can't go up and down on waivers this year so he might be with the big club more so than dumlion

I think Samulesson is an in-season depth guy. I like his play, I just don't see him cracking the opening day roster.

He is no longer waiver exempt (or whatever the term is) if we put him in the minor we can only call him up if its an emergency.

I get the feeling the Pens don't see him as highly as some of the others. Many assume because he is out of options he would be on the opening night roster (myself included), but in the past 2 weeks, I've seen two quotes from Rutherford and one from Botterill about young defensemen getting a shot, and it is always Despres, Dumoulin, and Harrington that they name, never Samuelsson. I think Samuelsson projects to only be a bottom pairing defenseman, and would serve as an in-season call-up if needed, while the Pens feel Despres, Dumoulin, and Harrington (and when healthy, Pouliot) all have more upside.

what part of he can't be called up midseason if he is placed in the minors are people missing. He'd only be able to be called up in an emergency situation which is different from the standard call up teams make.

Fine if we want to bury him in the minors for another year, but if we do that he wont be getting a cup of coffee with the big team this year

darkstar57 wrote:What about samulesson, i believe he can't go up and down on waivers this year so he might be with the big club more so than dumlion

I think Samulesson is an in-season depth guy. I like his play, I just don't see him cracking the opening day roster.

He is no longer waiver exempt (or whatever the term is) if we put him in the minor we can only call him up if its an emergency.

I get the feeling the Pens don't see him as highly as some of the others. Many assume because he is out of options he would be on the opening night roster (myself included), but in the past 2 weeks, I've seen two quotes from Rutherford and one from Botterill about young defensemen getting a shot, and it is always Despres, Dumoulin, and Harrington that they name, never Samuelsson. I think Samuelsson projects to only be a bottom pairing defenseman, and would serve as an in-season call-up if needed, while the Pens feel Despres, Dumoulin, and Harrington (and when healthy, Pouliot) all have more upside.

what part of he can't be called up midseason if he is placed in the minors are people missing. He'd only be able to be called up in an emergency situation which is different from the standard call up teams make.

Fine if we want to bury him in the minors for another year, but if we do that he wont be getting a cup of coffee with the big team this year

He CAN be called up from the minors, he just has to pass through waivers and risk getting claimed by another team. I fully understand that. I am merely stating, Pens management continues to talk about committment to younger d-men, and they have left Samuelssons name out of that discussion EVERY time. Not saying that it is a given he starts in the minors, but I think he's going to have to outplay Dumoulin or Harrington in training camp to be on the opening night roster.